Abstract: Before the TVA came, the Tennessee Valley region was one of the nation's poorest: no electricity; deep, gullied erosion of the hilly farm country; periodic devastating flooding of cities like Nashville. The turning point for the region came with the Great Depression and Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal. With a multi-pronged attack, the main idea was to try and transform the region. A series of dams was built along the Tennessee River. This halted the flooding, helped to create a navigable river, and generated hydro electric power. The electricity in turn, brought lights to poor Tennessee farms, and helped foster education in a poverty belt. Strict soil conservation and reforestation sharply cut the soil erosion problem. TVA's accomplishments are one of the high points in the history of civil engineering.